Surveillance for hemorrhagic septicemia in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) as an aid to range expansion of the Javan rhinoceros (Rinoceros sondaicus) in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia

The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is the rarest terrestrial mammal in Indonesia. The Ujung Kulon National Park has become the last resort for the species. Ujung Kulon is located on a peninsula surrounded by coastline... [ view full abstract ]

The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is the rarest terrestrial mammal in Indonesia. The Ujung Kulon National Park has become the last resort for the species. Ujung Kulon is located on a peninsula surrounded by coastline and 19 buffer villages with agricultural dominated landscapes. Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) regularly invade the national park boundary and bring unknown health risks to the Javan rhinoceros and serves to jeopardize future plans to create a new, and geographically distinct, population outside of the park. Hemorrhagic septicaemia (known locally as Septicaemia epizootica) is caused by the gram-negative bacteria, Pasteurella multocida B: 2, and may be a significant obstacle to the Indonesian government’s effort to expand the Javan rhinoceros’s range. Biological samples from 770 water buffalo across 19 villages were collected for a 1-year period from June 2012 to July 2013. The biological samples included deep nasal swabs (n=85) for bacterial culture and blood samples (n=770) for serological testing. No animals were found to be positive on culture. However, serology revealed a seroprevalence in this population of 1.8 percent (14 of 770 animals). Serology was compared with possible risk factors through a structured questionnaire and survey of local livestock owners. A positive titer to hemorrhagic septicemia was correlated with specific factors including substandard husbandry practices: lack of a permanent area to house buffalo at night, low body condition score (BCS=2), high body temperature (Fever ≥ 40°C), clinical signs or sudden death in the previous year, and a grazing system that utilized feed sources inside the national park. Sex, age, vaccination status and season were not associated with a positive serologic response. Discovery of a low prevalence of hemorrhagic septicemia in the buffalo impacted Indonesian policy through reinstatement of a vaccination program for Pasteurella; disease impacts management decisions for both buffalo and rhinoceroses in this ecosystem.